


i will guide you in the night

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-02
Updated: 2013-01-02
Packaged: 2017-11-23 10:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/621107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zayn doesn't enjoy being afraid of thunderstorms. But he doesn't really mind the consequences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i will guide you in the night

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not and cannot own real people. This is a work of fiction and is not meant to make assumptions about anyone's sexuality. If you are even slightly related to anyone involved in this fic, please turn back now.

Zayn’s not used to this. He’s used to being the strong and silent one. The brooding one. He knows he isn’t really any of these things but that’s how the fans see him and that image suits him just fine   
  


And so he really hates the fact that a little thunder and lightning can reduce him to this… this  _thing_. This scared child that wraps blankets around his head so he can’t hear the storm raging outside. The rain lashes against the windows and he burrows even farther under the covers, trying to block out the noise. There’s a particularly loud boom of thunder and Zayn swears it rattles the windows. He can’t take it anymore.

  
He untangles himself from the thin hotel comforter and leaves his room, pulling the door shut behind him. He pads lightly across the hall to Liam’s room. Zayn pauses and presses his ear against the door, listening to see if Liam is still awake. No sounds can be heard coming from the room so he carefully turns the knob and pushes the door open

  
The room is a sty; Clothes are thrown everywhere and half of the pillows are tossed on the floor. The blanket is wrapped tight around one of the bed posts, half of it spilling over onto the floor. Zayn’s first thought is  _Oh God, something’s happened to Liam. He’s been robbed or- or kidnapped._

It’s late and he feels this excuses his thoughts.

  
Niall emerges from the bathroom and nods at Zayn before collapsing on the bed. Zayn turns to leave and find Liam but Niall stops him

  
“Where you going?”

  
“I was looking for Liam. I thought this was his room.”

  
“It was. But him and Harry went out. Late night run to the shop or something. So I took it. It’s got the nicest bed.” Niall shrugs and pulls the blanket up off the floor, curling under the covers

  
Zayn looks at Niall burying his head into the pillow and decides to stay here

  
He crawls into the bed and Niall doesn’t protest. He just drapes the blanket over the two of them and closes his eyes, falling asleep faster than Zayn thought was humanly possible. Zayn follows soon after in a restless jerky sleep.

  
_The thunder is rolling and he’s running, trying to escape the noise. There’s no respite from the storm and the lightning strikes, lighting up the area and revealing nothing. Zayn’s reached the end of everything and nothing is left. The thunder screams, shattering the sky and Zayn is too far gone. His body quakes with it and the thunder is inside of him, part of him; the lightning dances across his face and he cries out for something he can’t quite define._   


  
He’s woken by hands shaking him awake rather roughly. His eyes open to Niall’s face asking the question without words  _what’s wrong?_  


  
“The storm.” Zayn’s voice is less than a whisper, afraid of what Niall will say

  
Niall’s face doesn’t change at all. His hands come up and hold either side of Zayn’s face. He presses his lips to Zayn’s forehead in what can’t even be classified as a kiss. Niall holds onto him like that for a few seconds before releasing him, brushing his long fingers against the fine hairs at Zayn’s hairline. He gives Zayn a look that says  _you’re okay_ , and then does something surprising. He wraps his arms around Zayn’s torso and  _rolls_  him over. He pulls Zayn flush up against chest and Zayn is surprised by the strength in Niall’s wiry arms. And then, in a move that may be even stranger, he wraps his body around Zayn’s and lays his head on Zayn’s, effectively covering his ear with his cheek.

  
Zayn realizes that with Niall’s face pressed tight against his he’s unable to hear the storm raging outside. The inside of his ear pounds with an uncomfortable pressure and he feels an odd vibration every time Niall breathes, his head moving lightly up and down. After a while he begins to relax and it’s no longer strange or uncomfortable. It’s just easy and familiar and he fades into Niall’s warmth as he slowly drifts off to sleep.

  
When they wake up the next day, Niall doesn’t say anything about what brought Zayn to his room last night. He just heads to the bathroom to brush his teeth and starts his daily routine like nothing is out of the ordinary. Zayn wants to  _needs to_  let Niall know how much he appreciates this. Niall just smiles at him with a mouthful of toothpaste and Zayn knows that Niall understands.

-

  
The storms continue the next night and their flight out of the country is cancelled. Something about high winds and turbulence and cabin pressure and all these things that Zayn doesn’t really know anything about. All he knows is that he has an extra five days in this city and the rain doesn’t seem to be slowing anytime soon.

  
Zayn tries to deal with it himself this time. He makes a cup of tea and steals a book from Harry’s bag and takes it to his room. It’s not what he needs and after the fifth or sixth time of jumping at the noises and spilling hot tea on the book, he’s had enough. Zayn slides Harry’s book far underneath his bed where, hopefully, it won’t be missed and slips into the hallway

  
He carefully opens the door and Liam looks surprised to see him. Zayn gets a weird feeling in his chest. It’s strange and unfamiliar and smacks slightly of betrayal. This is a mistake. Liam can’t help Zayn. Because if he helps Zayn, he’ll want to  _help Zayn_. And that means asking him what’s wrong and analyzing it until they come to the root of the problem and talking over it so much that Zayn doesn’t feel better, just embarrassed and tired. He tries to cover his presence in the room.

  
“Hey, um, what time do I need to be up on Thursday for the flight?”

  
“Up by eight. We leave at ten. But, that’s not for  _days_  Zayn, why do you need to know right now?”

  
“I was just suddenly curious. That’s all.” He tries to smile warmly and takes his leave, calling a quick goodnight over his shoulder.

He closes the door quickly behind him and slumps against it. He knows he’ll have to explain himself to Liam in the morning but for now he needs something else.

-

  
Niall looks up at Zayn as he enters the bedroom and smiles. Zayn just slides into the bed like he did the night before and they fall into the already familiar position. Niall smells faintly of beer and Zayn finds that he doesn’t mind it. Lying like this, Zayn’s whole world feels muted and disconnected. He feels miles away from the storm raging on outside. The thunder is distant and quiet, rippling gently along his body

  
Niall’s body surrounds his, long and overwhelming and comforting. This is right; this is where he’s supposed to be. Their breathing synchs up and they fall asleep quicker than the first time.

  
Zayn wakes up and the rain has lessened, pattering lightly against the window. Niall’s legs are tangled with his own and his long arms are wrapped lightly around Zayn’s waist. Zayn turns and can see Niall’s chest rise and fall with gentle breaths; his hair is mussed and his cheeks are flushed and Zayn thinks that he could get used to waking up like this.

-

  
Zayn doesn’t even hesitate the third night. He crawls into bed with Niall and they adopt the routine. The rain pounds against the window but they may as well be in another world. Niall’s hair tickles Zayn’s cheek and he laughs softly into his pillow. Niall presses a kiss into the back of Zayn’s neck and Zayn decides that he really doesn’t mind thunderstorms that much.

-

  
Their fourth, and last, night in the city and the storms have finally passed. Louis excitedly informs the group that their plane is going to be leaving, on schedule, for London the next day. They’re going home

The rest of the boys cheer and Harry breaks out the alcohol. It’s light and fun and the atmosphere bubbles over. Zayn decides to call it an early night.

  
Zayn lies in bed, and for ten minutes feels like the wind has been knocked out of him. He feels empty; he feels like something has been torn away from him. No matter what he does, he can’t sleep. He feels foolish and embarrassed and sick. The disappointment is like a leaden weight in his stomach and he just wants sleep to overtake him so he quits feeling so fucking  _stupid_. For the first time in his life Zayn wishes for a storm.

-

  
By midnight, Zayn isn’t any closer to sleep and wondering if he should just suck it up and go to Niall’s room. It’s while he’s thinking this that his bedroom door opens and Niall stumbles across the floor and falls hard into Zayn’s bed. He’s really pissed.

He pulls the blanket over his own body and curls up into Zayn’s side

  
Zayn has control this time and he asks, “What are you doing here?”

  
Niall half slurs, half mumbles a response, “Couldn’t sleep. Missed you.”

  
Zayn doesn’t really think about what he’s doing. He holds Niall’s head in his hands and kisses him full on the mouth. Niall’s lips are chapped but they soon open underneath Zayn’s. Zayn runs his fingers through Niall’s hair and rubs circles into his scalp. He licks slow and deep into Niall’s mouth and Niall groans. He tastes like champagne and strawberries and Zayn thinks these might be his two favorite flavors. The kiss is lazy and comfortable and Niall sighs softly into Zayn’s mouth. They pull apart and Niall’s fingers come to rest on the side of Zayn’s head, threading through his raven hair. Zayn leans into Niall’s touch and presses their foreheads together

  
There’s a flash of light and Zayn hears the beginning rumblings of thunder. He turns just in time to see the skies open up.

Niall pulls him back in for another kiss and Zayn smiles into his mouth.

  
“It’s raining.”

  
They fall asleep like that, mingled breaths and a tangle of limbs, listening to the rain pound against the window.


End file.
